Today I have the answer to the ever-important question, “What do I do with leftover tahini?” In the case that you don’t want to make batch upon batch of hummus (then again, why not?) here’s a little twist you might not have ever imagined. In fact, I hadn’t myself. The idea to use tahini in a sweet 4-ingredient freezer candy comes from Amber Shea Crawly in her new book, Practically Raw Desserts.

Of the remaining three ingredients, I am almost certain you have one of them on hand (salt, preferably coarse sea or kosher) but maybe not the other two (coconut flour and coconut nectar). But don’t worry – when those two are hanging around in your pantry, you’ll have no choice but to flip through and choose another fun “practically raw” (read: can be lightly baked) recipe or just open up to the world of gluten/grain-free and naturally sweet baking. (No need to go very far, I’ve got plenty of coconut flour recipes right here!)

I am by no means a raw foodist but I certainly appreciate learning interesting new ways to combine ingredients and that’s why I’m drawn to all kinds of cooking. If you’re like me and don’t own a dehydrator, it can be a bit intimidating to adapt raw recipes. A great thing about this raw foods cookbook is that each recipe includes instructions to “make it raw” (with a dehydrator), “make it baked” (at a very low temperature, so that the finished product will still be close to what you’d get by dehydrating), or “make it easy” (simply refrigerate or freeze and you’re ready to go! Plus, the recipes all include plenty of suggested substitutions to meet your tastes or simply match what’s in your pantry. For example, you can usually reduce the fat in a recipe by substituting oats for some of the nuts and there are plenty of ideas listed to substitute flours, sweeteners, etc. Here’s just a sampling of some of the recipes I can’t wait to try (and chances are, I’ll go with “make it easy”!):

Nutty Butty Sandwich Cookies

Tuxedo Cheesecake Brownies

Baklava Blondies

Deep Dish Caramel Apple Pie with Ooey Gooey Caramel Sauce

Finally, one last thing I’d be remiss not to mention, is that Chef Amber has cracked the code on using coconut flour in vegan recipes. The thing about coconut flour is that it absolutely needs the moisture of eggs in baked goods, and typical vegan egg substitutions usually don’t function (I’ve only tried once or twice myself, but my vegan friends have said the same.) Finally, vegans can have their coconut flour and eat it too; it’s used in many of these Practically Raw Desserts as a binder.

Before I share the easiest-ever raw recipe for Salted Tahini Caramels (heck, there is only one way to make it – and that’s easy!) here are the details on the giveaway.

I am giving away a copy of Practically Raw Desserts to one lucky reader. To enter, simply leave a comment telling me what your favorite raw snack is (remember, fruit is raw!) For extra entries, you may…

Salted Tahini Caramels

Ingredients:

Directions:

Combine tahini, coconut flour, and coconut nectar in a medium bowl and stir until smooth (mixture will be thick.) Pour into a glass dish lined with plastic wrap or divide among mini muffin tins with paper liners. Sprinkle evenly with sea salt, then freeze until very firm. Once frozen, slice into bite-sized pieces with a very sharp knife. Store in an air-tight container in the freezer.